Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1018

Chapter 1018

What is that?

I watched as the chieftain’s body began to glow red. The patches of discoloration spread rapidly with the rising heat until his whole form was covered, his fur now a deep, vivid crimson.

Even—

His axe was changing too.

The blade, which had once been wreathed in flames, now mirrored the same bloody red as his fur.

His charred skin, previously mottled with patches, was now completely overcome, transforming entirely into a deep, burning scarlet.

“Kuhuhu…”

Oddly, flames no longer burst from his nostrils with each snort.

What was going on?

As I observed him more closely, I detected another shift.

His aura… had diminished.

That once-overwhelming pressure—so immense it felt crushing—had shrunk considerably.

What was this?

An aura that powerful… couldn’t just vanish. It was impossible.

What kind of transformation was this?

What was this body? Had he invoked some kind of power?

There was still more I needed to understand.

I had more to analyze about him. But—

Something felt… cold.

The longer I stared, the more unease gripped me. My instincts screamed—warning me not to act carelessly against whatever he had become.

Does that mean I should end this now?

The moment my resolve hardened, my shadow shifted.

As if sensing my intent, Tam prepared to spring forward.

…If I was going to do it,

The best opportunity would have been the instant I landed the Cheonma First Fist.

I had held back, trying to understand what was happening, and lost my chance.

I stoked the energy inside my cooled-down body.

Heat flooded through me, spreading power to every limb.

Fwaaaah—!!

Aura erupted from my shoulders, shooting upward as I expanded my domain.

I channeled Red Heaven infused with Magye, using Black Heaven to solidify my field.

Strength coursed through me.

Just as I prepared to dive back into the fight—

Whoosh!

“Hm?”

My body was suddenly yanked backward. Someone had grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me away.

I turned, startled, and saw Cheonma.

She had lunged at me and was now dragging me away.

“What are you—?!”

I tried to speak, but Cheonma shot into the air at blinding speed.

The chieftain quickly shrank to a speck in the distance. Forced to follow her retreat, I was pulled completely away from the battlefield.

**********

Alone on the rocky peak, the chieftain stared into the sky.

His eyes followed the path where his opponent had vanished.

He had been ready to fight, but that woman had intervened abruptly, cutting the battle short.

Should he give chase?

If he wished, he could have pursued them the moment they fled.

But he did not.

“……”

His face contorted as he glared at the empty sky.

Kuhuhuhuhu—!!

Then, as though expelling his frustration, he released a guttural roar, ripped his axe from the ground, and swung it violently through the air.

Kuaaaaaah—!!!

The force of his swing tore through the wind, shredding the atmosphere itself.

The unleashed aura struck what looked like empty space—

Kwooooom—!!

A tremendous explosion rocked the air where it hit something invisible.

Snarling, the chieftain spoke.

“Crow. What do you think you’re doing?”

Grind.

He clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his axe. Then, from the space he had struck, a figure emerged.

Fwuududud—!!

A man clad in black wings, his face hidden behind a mask, appeared.

“My, my.”

The masked man spoke, his tone dripping with disappointment as he stepped forward.

“They were sharper than I anticipated. What a pity.”

“I asked—what do you think you’re doing—!!”

Fwaaaaah—!!

The chieftain’s furious roar vibrated through the surroundings. The masked man casually lifted a hand and replied.

“What does it look like? I was about to catch prey that wandered into my trap.”

Tsk, tsk.

The man clicked his tongue repeatedly, clearly annoyed.

“I was so close. If only you’d done a better job holding their attention.”

“…You dare.”

Boom! Crack—!!!

The chieftain lunged, swinging his axe.

The razor-sharp blade sliced through the air—

Cleaving the masked man clean in two.

For an instant, it seemed he had been killed.

But—

Fwududuk—!!!

The bisected body dissolved into a shower of black feathers and vanished.

“Tsk.”

A flurry of feathers gathered behind the chieftain, reforming into the masked man once more.

“You said it yourself. They are disrupting the order of Mangye.”

Flap!

The man spread his vast wings and lifted into the air.

“I was only helping you capture them. Why so angry—”

The masked man ascended higher, narrowly avoiding a surge of fiery aura that exploded where he had just been standing.

“I have told you many times.”

The chieftain growled, glaring up at him.

“Do not interfere in my battles.”

“…Sigh, Leader.”

The masked man let out a deep, exasperated breath.

“Now is not the time for this stubbornness.”

He continued, his voice edged with frustration.

“Yusa is dead.”

The death of Yusa.

That alone was a catastrophic event for Mangye.

“The law of Mangye, laid down by the Master, is absolute. Yusa was meant to uphold the rules, swear loyalty to the Master, and protect all that has been built.”

And yet, Yusa was dead.

Killed.

“What’s more, Yusa was slain by someone from within Mangye itself. Do you not grasp the severity of this?”

“It does not matter.”

“Leader.”

“I was in the middle of my battle. And you dared to interfere?”

The chieftain showed no interest in listening. He merely poured more aura into his axe.

“…Hah.”

The masked man sighed again, shaking his head.

“This is a matter that concerns the Master himself. And yet, the one who claims such loyalty to him is behaving like this?”

“That is for me to handle. I would have dealt with it—without your meddling.”

“Hah—!”

The masked man let out a hollow laugh.

“Are you certain of that?”

“Of course. Do you know who I am?”

“You?”

The masked man scoffed.

“You’re just a stubborn, thick-skulled beast.”

“……”

Kugugugung—!!

A murderous aura erupted from the chieftain, surging toward the masked man.

But once again, he evaded with ease.

“Cheonma.”

The masked man’s tone shifted slightly.

“The one you were fighting… he goes by that name.”

“……”

“So? How was he?”

He smirked.

“From what I saw, it looked like you were losing.”

“What a joke.”

A scorching hiss erupted—

Chiiiiiiik—!!!

Heat radiated from the chieftain’s body, sending plumes of steam into the air.

“If you hadn’t interfered, I would have been victorious.”

“Yes, perhaps you would have.”

The masked man didn’t argue. However—

“If it were just the two of you, that might be true. But there was someone else, wasn’t there?”

A strange presence had been observing the battle from the shadows. The masked man had been focused on her.

“That changes nothing. I would have killed them all.”

“……”

Bold words. A foolish claim.

The masked man barely held back another sigh.

“…Kill them? If I hadn’t been here, you would be the one lying dead.”

He was sure of it.

“That woman… she had her eyes on me from the beginning.”

Even while concealed in the void, she had detected him.

That alone was proof.

“Even while you were fighting, she kept glancing in my direction.”

While the chieftain had been wholly absorbed in combat, the woman had spent more time surveying their surroundings than engaging in the fight.

That had been alarming.

She noticed me?

It was one thing for the leader to be single-minded—he cared for nothing else. But—

Something was… strange.

Deeply strange.

That so-called Cheonma had hidden his true nature, making him hard to identify. But the woman…

Something about her…

Something was undeniably wrong.

Beyond being unreadable—

She carried…

An innate, deeply unpleasant aura.

It was almost like—

Yarang.

That wretched being their Master had taken in.

It was already absurd that she had been made a General. Even more ridiculous that she had somehow taken control of the Sacred Tree.

That detestable creature.

And yet, this woman… she radiated the same kind of disquieting presence.

“Had I done nothing, do you truly believe you would have won?”

“…I would have handled it. Now get lost.”

“…Fool.”

No matter how many times he explained, this brute refused to listen.

A trap had been set. The prey had walked right into it.

Had the leader simply played his part, they could have been eliminated.

But this obstinate beast would not cooperate.

He had ruined it all.

The masked man had kept his presence hidden for this very reason.

Had the leader known, he would have flown into a rage and charged in blindly.

“If you won’t leave…”

The chieftain raised his axe again, aiming it at the masked man.

“…Then I’ll make you.”

Just as he was about to swing—

“You insufferable bastard.”

The masked man shook his head and finally moved his hand.

In that moment—

Ziiiiiiiiing—!!

The space around his fingers split open, forming a jagged rift—shaped eerily like the Magyeong Gate.

Without a word, the masked man stepped through and vanished.

Only after he was gone did the chieftain finally release the tension from his body.

Fwoooosh—!!

Steam hissed from his skin as his form returned to normal.

The crimson fur and scorched flesh faded, reverting to their original state.

“Krrr…”

The chieftain turned his gaze back to the sky.

Losing his prey was one thing.

But what truly left him unsatisfied—

Was that the fight had been left unfinished.

Should he pursue them?

The thought lingered.

Tracking them down after some time had passed would be difficult, but not impossible.

As long as they remained within Mount Marryeong, they could not escape him.

He was about to set off when—

“……”

He stopped.

Beyond the distant Crimson Aurora, the sun began to rise.

The sight of it made him lower his axe.

As soon as the sunlight touched his skin, a deep drowsiness washed over him.

The chieftain slowly settled onto the ground and closed his eyes.

For now—

He would sleep.

Until night fell once more.

And then—

He would hunt them down again.